Obama gets rave reviews for hurricane response — but he doesn’t get more support

An Obama campaign sign rises above the floodwaters in a neighborhood as rain continues to fall in Norfolk, VA., Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. Rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy are hitting the area.

An Obama campaign sign rises above the floodwaters in a neighborhood as rain continues to fall in Norfolk, VA., Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. Rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy are hitting the area.

Photo: Associated Press

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US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney holds a supporter's baby during campaign event at Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio, on October 29, 2012.

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney holds a supporter's baby during campaign event at Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio, on October 29, 2012.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

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President Barack Obama speaks in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, after returning to the White House from a campaign stop in Florida to monitor Hurricane Sandy.

President Barack Obama speaks in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, after returning to the White House from a campaign stop in Florida to monitor Hurricane Sandy.

Photo: Associated Press

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US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets supporters during a campaign rally at Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio, on October 29, 2012.

US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets supporters during a campaign rally at Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio, on October 29, 2012.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

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President Barack Obama speaks in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, after returning to the White House from a campaign stop in Florida to monitor Hurricane Sandy.

President Barack Obama speaks in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012, after returning to the White House from a campaign stop in Florida to monitor Hurricane Sandy.

Photo: Associated Press

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After canceling his appearance at a morning campaign rally in Orlando, Fla., President Barack Obama walks into the White House in a driving rain after returning to Washington to monitor preparations for early response to Hurricane Sandy, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. less

After canceling his appearance at a morning campaign rally in Orlando, Fla., President Barack Obama walks into the White House in a driving rain after returning to Washington to monitor preparations for early ... more

Photo: Associated Press

Obama gets rave reviews for hurricane response -- but he doesn't get more support

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The first returns are in: President Barack Obama is getting overwhelmingly positive reviews from the American people for his response to Hurricane Sandy. Even from Republicans.

But for those of you trying to figure out what that means for the deadlocked presidential race, you’ll just have to wait a bit longer.

The same Washington Post/ABC News tracking poll that found nearly 80 percent of Americans responding favorably to Obama’s handling of the storm’s aftermath also found that the presidential race was tied.

Still.

The Post/ABC poll showed a 49-49 tie — no statistical change from the days leading up to the massive autumn storm that slammed into New Jersey and New York on Monday.

In interviews conducted last night by Langer Research Associates, 78 percent of those questioned rated the president’s hurricane response as “excellent” or “good.” Just 8 percent called Obama’s actions “fair” or “poor.”

Overall, 73 percent of Americans viewed the federal response to the storm favorably.

The public outlook on Obama’s performance transcends partisanship: more than 80 percent of Democrats and independents — and 63 percent of Republicans — give the president good grades. Democrats are less charitable to Romney: just 24 percent of Democrats and 40 percent of independents are impressed by his response, along with 70 percent of Republicans.

While the bottom line doesn’t change in today’s tracking poll, there is one bit of good news for Obama. The latest poll showed him performing better among independents than any time since the first presidential debate. Independents now side with Romney by 51 percent to 46 percent — Obama’s highest level of support among independents since July. Over the past week, the tracking poll shows an 8-point Obama gain among independents and a 7-point drop for Romney.